


It's always a special day

by UndeadFae



Category: Inazuma Eleven
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Not Beta Read, Valentine's Day, just a tiny bit at the end
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-18
Updated: 2021-02-18
Packaged: 2021-03-13 20:20:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,094
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29531880
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UndeadFae/pseuds/UndeadFae
Summary: Sakuma, Genda, and a look at a few of their Valentine's spent together through the years.
Relationships: Genda Koujirou/Sakuma Jirou
Kudos: 8





	It's always a special day

**Author's Note:**

> this one's even later than the other one, but i was too invested in this to just leave it be, so here we are now

Sakuma had never been one to really feel like celebrating valentine’s day. Why should anyone need a day dedicated to loving people when you had the whole year, after all? It was stupid, really.

… Until he started finally, finally, dating Genda. That did change quite a few things- among which was the realization that as stupid and as much of a cash grab as Valentine’s day was, it was still a good excuse to go at least a bit overboard with the cheesiness and affection. That he could accept.

After the disaster(?) that had been their first holiday together, between burnt chocolate and a mess to clean up, Sakuma had learned a few things- namely, he had to try and do better next time, something they both could enjoy that wouldn’t result in the innocent kitchen being turned into a warzone.

He was determined to make the following days special from now on, Genda deserved it.

* * *

They had planned for a simple night for this year’s Valentine’s, nothing more than the two of them together, staying at Genda's house for the night, watching movies and doing just about whatever they felt like doing. Sakuma couldn’t lie, he wasn’t exactly convinced by this at first- shouldn’t they be doing something more special for the day? Something that wasn’t already a common thing for them? Well, regardless- time spent with Genda was always great. Maybe he was just overthinking it… as much as some part of him was still convinced that maybe a fancier date would’ve worked better.

Except as soon as he showed up, Genda had dragged him in and back into his room with one of the brightest smiles Sakuma had ever seen. Then, he noticed the sweet and sugary scent in the air.

“Are you coking something?”

And Genda nodded with a hum, a smile on his face as he rushed to the kitchen, Sakuma taking the moment to sit down as he waited. His boyfriend took longer than he expected, for once, Genda usually eager to be pretty much glued to his side- and when he walked back into the room with one of his dumb and bright grins, there was a tray in his hands, a plate of warm cookies in it and two mugs.

Sakuma stared for a moment, eye wide as Genda carefully placed it down on his nightstand.

“Come on, get settled so we can start eating before they get cold!”

“R-right-”

Well, it wasn’t exactly uncommon for Genda to get to baking something out of nowhere, either just because he was bored or because he wanted to put off whatever he actually had to do. Must’ve been just that- and then when he got closer, Sakuma finally managed to take a good look at the cookies. Chocolate and vanilla, hearts with snow white frosting and red jam as filling… and some penguins and cats with their cute little beaks and noses staring right back at him.

Oh. _Oh._

He definitely took his time just to make these. To make them perfect.

“So? Do you like them?” The grin on Genda's face was most definitely proud now, especially after taking a good look at Sakuma's very much flustered face.

“I-I- y-you-” he was definitely going to get teased for that later- “y-yes- they… they’re really great… you- how long have you been working on these?”

“Long enough.” That was code for ‘more than what you’d like to hear’. “Can we start eating now?”

Maybe the date at home wasn’t as bad as Sakuma expected.

* * *

Being two constantly tired college students swallowed by assignments and part time jobs, there wasn’t exactly much time the couple could find to just spend together and relax. At least not time that didn’t involve the rare occasion when they both could go to bed at a reasonable hour and cuddle until they fell asleep. Running on caffeine to make the pile of work manageable enough tended to do that.

And finally, finally, a weekend rolled in where they didn’t have as much to do anymore, enough tests and deadlines out of the way to breathe at last.

Sakuma didn’t remember the last time he had slept so much during the night.

Waking up hours into the morning, Genda's arms still wrapped around him and lightly snoring into his ear, Sakuma just got a bit more comfortable in the bed, happily sighing as he nuzzled into the pillow and pushed himself a bit more into his boyfriend’s warm and comfortable chest.

He didn’t know how much time had passed before he finally felt Genda stirring, but he didn’t care either way, more than happy to just keep spending time like that, resting and with him.

“G’mornin’…” Genda's slurred words were barely understandable, cut off by a long, still tired yawn.

“Hello… slept well?”

There was some mumbling, then a nod. Sakuma just turned around enough to kiss his cheek in answer. Then, slowly, almost reluctantly, he pushed himself to sit up, Genda whining behind him when his arms were suddenly empty, grasping at the air in his half asleep state.

“No, don’t get up…”

Fuck, was it unfair just how cute he was.

“I’ll be back in a bit, alright?” And he leaned in to kiss him again, a bit closer to his lips this time. “I promise- go back to sleep meanwhile, alright? I know you were pulling more all-nighters than me.”

More groaning and whining later, Genda finally agreed, grumbling as he turned around in the bed and pulled the blankets further up, almost hiding in a warm cocoon of fabric. Sakuma took that moment to throw on the first decent enough clothes he could find to rush out of their room.

He knew his way around the campus well enough by now, having to drag Genda around when he got lost more than once. Making his way back with a colorful box in a bag hanging from his arm and balancing a cup in each hand was faster than he thought, even when it felt like hours after leaving Genda asleep back in the dorm.

Opening the door like that without waking him so rudely was just a bit harder.

Sakuma allowed himself a sigh of relief when he finally stepped in, Genda still fast asleep as he carefully put cups and box down on their desk. He had time to change back into his own pajamas before eating, good.

“Koujirou? I’m back- wake up, please?”

More groaning and muffled complaining later, Genda was, in fact, waking up- even if that only entailed turning around and opening just one eye.

“What is it now…? Did I… forget another assignment…?”

Even the probable fear of failure wasn’t enough to give him the push of adrenaline he needed to actually wake up.

“We already finished those.” Sakuma couldn’t really help himself, rolling his eye and a hand over his mouth to hide a chuckle. “Get up, lazy ass, I brought breakfast.”

At least that one word seemed to do the trick- Genda had finally opened the other eye too, looking around until he spotted the new food on the desk, only now deciding that maybe it was worth it sitting up in the bed for that.

“What… what did you bring…?” The yawns were still making themselves known.

“I got us some donuts.” It was the only store open on campus with anything anywhere near sugary enough to satisfy Genda's horrible sweet tooth. “And some chocolate milkshakes. Feel like starting to eat now before the donuts get stale and the milkshake melts?”

Now Genda nodded, much more awake and excited than before, his eyes shining at the thought alone of biting into one of those heavenly little things. Sakuma got up to pull the much needed food closer, letting Genda get comfortable in bed before sitting at his side and opening the box.

“Oh, by the way-” and he leaned in to kiss Genda's cheek, grinning at his confused glance, mouth already filled with donuts and powdered sugar all over his fingers and lips. “Happy Valentine’s.”

And he casually picked up one of his own donuts to start eating, quietly smiling as Genda's eyes went wide with the realization.

Date forgotten aside, Genda did put his own effort into making up for that once he was awake enough. Sakuma didn’t know if the dinner or the penguin plush was better.

* * *

Their apartment was still very much a mess, just barely finishing to put the furniture together and in place, boxes still scattered around and cheap cleaning products shoved in a corner.

No matter how much they had planned their move into their first apartment together, there was still way too much to do, too many things catching them off guard and too much still undone when the day finally came. They had definitely underestimated just how exhausting something like that could be, even with days upon days of preparing, packing stuff, making calls and sorting things out.

When the bed was finally ready, mattress and all, they didn’t have the energy for anything else, collapsing on the couch for a good few minutes that felt more like hours. No matter how much there was left to do, they both knew too damn well that this was as much as they’d do for the day.

“Are… are we ready to call it a day…?”

Sakuma barely heard him, just vaguely nodding in answer.

“Good…” and Genda somehow managed to pull his phone out of his pocket, screen lit up with one too many messages.

Sakuma didn’t say anything as Genda went through it, just enjoying the much needed break in silence. He could close his eye for a little bit, right? Genda would get his attention in any way he had to, if he needed it. Just closing his eye for a moment, nothing more…

And suddenly someone was gently shaking his shoulder, soft words whispered into his ear. Groggy and confused, Sakuma groaned, forcing himself to open his eye, a curse almost slipping from his lips when a very much welcome scent reached him.

“Wha…?”

“Come on, Jirou, dinner’s here.”

And when he felt awake enough to look around, Sakuma found a pizza box on the coffee table, a smaller box, a soda bottle and two plastic cups next to it.

“Surprise?”

Genda's grin was playful, just a bit awkward, and everything Sakuma always loved.

“When…”

“I just figured neither of us would really get up to cook anything now…” And Genda glanced away, just a faint red on his cheeks. “I know it’s not really that special of a dinner or even remotely close to a date, especially for today, but well…”

Sakuma blinked, once, twice, the quick nap soon forgotten.

Today?

Still just as confused as when he woke up, Sakuma pulled his phone out of his pocket and- oh. February 14th. Oh.

In his defense, planning the whole move had been taking up too much of his energy to really remember the date.

“Uh… we could still order something else if-”

“N-no- it’s fine, don’t worry!” Before his boyfriend could feel even more self-conscious at the lack of preparation, Sakuma quickly shook his head, reaching out to take Genda's hands in an attempt to hopefully reassure him. “It’s… it’s perfect.”

No matter the year, Genda always had tried his best to plan for the day, to make it as special of a day as he could, insisting that it was the least Sakuma deserved. To have forgotten about Valentine’s day entirely in the middle of such a stressful week… it didn’t really matter to him, not when he still wanted to make it as good of a day as he ever could for Sakuma.

“Are you sure…? But…”

And Sakuma didn’t hesitate to pull him closer, a gentle kiss placed on his lips and a smile against his skin.

“Really, I mean it.” The smile didn’t leave his face even after pulling back, watching Genda's eyes go wide and mouth open. “I don’t care if you didn’t have the time or energy to cook and make me something special. Having you here is enough.”

Because he wouldn’t even have a day to celebrate if it wasn’t for Genda.

“Well…”

“Besides- pizza works just fine! You still remembered to get something, I was just sitting here half dead.” It wasn’t exactly a lie. “Come on, let’s just eat before it gets cold, alright? You know I like pizza.”

He didn’t miss how, once opening the box, this pizza’s toppings were split in half, one made up of his favorite and one of Genda's. Good- Genda knew better than to sacrifice his own tastes for his own happiness by now. That made Sakuma even happier, despite the exhaustion of the day.

Between some movies of questionable quality in the TV they had barely managed to set up before collapsing, pizza, side dishes and soda, all shared with each other in what finally was their own home and theirs alone, that Valentine’s day wasn’t bad at all.

* * *

With Genda receiving a contract to play abroad, there were as many troubles as there were exciting and proud moments. Sakuma always insisted that he didn’t mind, as much as he had to hold the sighs in and keep his voice even whenever Genda had to call to apologize profusely for not being able to be back home yet. It was alright, really, he had gotten used to it.

It really wasn’t, he was just a terrible liar.

Of the many things they had to miss together, that year’s Valentine’s day was one of them. It wasn’t a big deal- Sakuma never really liked the day that much either way, he could live with this. Genda wouldn’t be back until at least a week after the date, there wasn’t much either of them could do about it. Sakuma could only keep counting down the days, hoping there wouldn’t be another last time thing keeping him away.

And then, the day before Genda's scheduled flight, his phone rang. Sakuma was almost too afraid to pick it up.

“… Hello…?”

“Jirou!” Genda sounded… excited. Happier than usual. “You have _no_ idea of how much I missed talking to you- well, I guess you actually do, but still-”

“Don’t forget to breathe.” The playful teasing interrupted Genda's near rambling, Sakuma already feeling more at ease. If he sounded like that, then maybe there really wasn’t anything to worry about. “What is it?”

“Right, right- just wanted to let you know that I’ve packed everything already, I’m cleared to leave tomorrow.” He could almost hear the grin in his voice. “And we don’t know yet about the next season… I think I can stay for at least a few months this time.”

Sakuma really wasn’t sure how he managed to keep himself from crying hearing that.

“I’m coming home for good, Jirou.”

Because Genda had already said it enough times. His home would always be with Sakuma.

“I-I can’t wait…”

When the day finally arrived, Sakuma couldn’t sleep through the whole night.

On his way to the airport, he couldn't keep himself still, trying as best as he could to think about anything else. His thoughts never strayed for more than a few moments, already back to Genda, to thinking of the second he'd finally see him again, of when he’d finally get to touch him again, to hold his face in hands and feel his lips against his own skin.

Spacing out as he was, he didn’t even notice that they had finally parked inside the airport. With a hasty thanks, Sakuma hurried to open the door and rush out. He’d have to remember to give Kidou a better thanks for the ride later.

His feet were almost moving on their own, already knowing painfully well his way around the airport, already having walked those busy corridors one too many times, hoping he wasn’t too late. As much as he tried to keep track of time, running on far too little hours of sleep didn’t help matters much, leaving their home way later than he liked.

And then, he finally saw it- the place landing, in clear sight through the wide glass, the same colors of the airline Genda had told him he was taking.

Sakuma picked up his pace, almost running to the gates- and then he finally saw it as people started to walk in. That wild mane of messy hair he knew by heart.

And finally, Genda saw him. His eyes widened, a smile now on his face as he walked faster, almost dropping the bag slung over his shoulder.

“Jirou!”

Hearing his name in person for the first time in so long was the push Sakuma needed.

Before even fully realizing that he was running, he was already in Genda's arms, holding him as close as he could. He wasn’t going to let go any time soon, and neither of them minded.

“I missed you too, Jirou…”

He could feel it in the way Sakuma held him, just leaning in to gently kiss the top of his head as he refused to let go.

And then, Sakuma looked up at him.

“… Marry me.”

He didn’t intend on letting that stray thought slip into words- didn’t even think once of ever saying something like that. There was no preparation, no planning- not even a ring. They just stood there in a stunned silence, Sakuma silently and frantically cursing himself as he watched Genda's wide eyes and open mouth.

“I-I- w-wait I didn’t-”

And Genda kissed him on instinct.

Suddenly, everything around them felt quiet, nothing more than background noise.

When Genda pulled back, the smile on his face was just a bit awkward, a soft chuckle leaving his lips as he kept holding Sakuma closer.

“W-well, that’s not exactly what I expected for a delayed Valentine’s surprise… but I’ll take it.”

Sakuma could’ve sworn his heart stopped right there and then.

“Y-you… r-really-?”

And Genda only nodded, his smile now turning bright. The same smile that always made Sakuma's heart skip a beat and then go faster.

When they finally walked out of the airport, hand in hand and Sakuma clinging to Genda's arm as his boyfriend (fiancé?) rambled on and on about everything they had to do now to catch up on the lost time, things were finally alright.

As unconventional, late and eventful of a Valentine’s day as that one had been, neither of them minded. It was just as unforgettable as the others.

**Author's Note:**

> i actually really like to think about Genda being the one proposing in their relationship, but this idea suddenly came to me in the middle of writing so i just had to include it. i'm gonna write a proper proposal at some point, i promise


End file.
